José Abreu has been optioned to “get some at-bats and his timing back right.”
Some will say it was a long time coming.
According to Julia Morales, José Abreu will be optioned to “West Palm Beach,” effective tomorrow. Houston had hoped they were getting a solid upgrade at first base after neglecting to extend Yuli Gurriel a contract after winning the 2022 World Series.
Jose Abreu is being optioned to West Palm Beach effective tomorrow.
GM Dana Brown said a great meeting was had where both sides agreed this was best for him to work on timing and getting back to where he was offensively last fall.
— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) April 30, 2024
Abreu, a three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, 2014 AL Rookie of the Year and 2020 AL MVP, initially joined the Astros by signing a three-year, $58.5 million contract preceding the 2023 season. After getting off to a slow start last season, he recovered enough to finish with a .237/.296/.383 slashline, 18 home runs, and 90 RBI. Unfortunately, it was just enough to reach replacement level, as Abreu finished the season out at 0.0 bWAR. After a respectable postseason showing of four homers, 13 RBI, and a .295/.354/.591 slashline in 11 games, Abreu has struggled to stay above .100 through the beginning of the 2024 season.
The 2024 season has been anything but a rebound for the six-foot-three right-handed hitting first baseman. In 22 games thus far, he has hit just .099/.156/.113 with one double and three RBI. He’s also made three errors in 170 innings of defensive work on the cold corner, which works out to 23 total zone fielding runs below AL average when extended through a full season. In just one month, Abreu has already dug himself into a negative-1.5 bWAR.
We met with José on this, and we both agree that this move will be good for him and for the team in the long run. We are confident that a change of scenery and a new environment will help him get his rhythm and timing back. José is a team-first guy, and we applaud him for this. We know what this guy can do, and we’re confident in his determination and work ethic. — GM Dana Brown
Is optioning Abreu a sign of defeat….or can the assignment lead to him rediscovering his mojo to pre-2023 levels? A lot of people have written a lot of things about Abreu’s time with the Astros, but I’m sure we would all like him to reacquire his MVP-level talents of just a few years ago. In the meantime, first base will be primarily manned by Jon Singleton, with possible appearances by Victor Caratini, Mauricio Dubon, and Joey Loperfido (making his major league debut tonight in left field).